Manchester

Accelerating the growth of the North

Manchester City Region already represents over one fifth of the North's economy. The financial sector, business services and life sciences are set to develop.  Manchester Airport is due for continued investment which will be key to attracting and serving the area's knowledge-based industries.

	Vision: by 2025 the Manchester City Region will be a world-class City Region at the heart of a thriving North.

The City Region, with Manchester Airport in its midst, is the primary international gateway to the North of England.  With a population of just over three million, it generates GVA of £47bn. 

The economic geography of the Manchester City Region has a number of permutations reflecting business linkages, travel to work patterns and administrative areas.

It includes the cities of Manchester and Salford plus the adjoining metropolitan boroughs of Stockport, Tameside and Trafford to the south and Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and Wigan to the north, together with High Peak, Congleton, Macclesfield, Vale Royal and Warrington.

Economic Assets

• Manchester Airport is the largest airport outside the South East of England and has the potential to develop its role as an international hub
• Manchester Universities - the City Region has six with a combined income of more than £670 million per annum and a student population of over 90,000.  The Universities undertake research linked to major companies, e.g. Astra Zeneca
• The City Region has much of the infrastructure, business activity and research to further develop as a high value added, modern economy
• The attraction and creation of dynamic private sector economic activity in financial and professional services, life sciences, creative industries, manufacturing and communications
• The BBC and Granada form the hub of an expanding media sector second only to London in size and significance

Priorities and objectives

Economic growth within the City Region will be driven by:

• Continuing the expansion of Manchester Airport to serve and attract knowledge based businesses to the North of England
• Further developing financial and business services
• Promoting the continued growth of life sciences particularly by exploiting the combined resources of higher education and commercial research
• Fully exploiting the economic potential of the creative, cultural and media sector to drive expansion across the North
• Moving advanced manufacturing industries up the value chain
• Developing a vibrant communications sector both as an employer and generator of GVA, and as an enabler of productivity and competitiveness for the whole City Region